Interesting, I didn't think they'd continue development for Linux, considering the last release was so long ago. I don't often use Skype, but it's nice to have an update. Now why would this have happened so out of the blue?

Considering the history, I wouldn't even call that paranoia. Without seeing what's in the binary it is a bit scary to install it as root. Actually, Skype does a bunch of crazy stuff (and did since v2, I think) to try to keep Skype's functionality obfuscated; it wouldn't surprise me at all if there is a bunch of wacky stuff in there for snooping.

This made particularly little sense since Skype has always been in the red (as in, its never been a profitable venture), and now Microsoft is losing even more money because it has to support development and infrastructure now.

Anyway, there is a major need to move to SIP standards (or something else protocol based instead of client/server/protocol/vendor bundled) and break out of single-network human <-> human voice chat systems. Its an old enough technology now that it should be considered "basic infrastructure" to simply be expected as a utility of any complete userland installation the same way email, http browsers, image viewers, ps/pdf readers, text and odt editors, a decent shell, etc. are.

...And that means we really need to get on the ball fixing Ekiga and similar projects. That's always shown so much promise and been given such a paucity of attention. The problem is, I think, that people who really grok sound subsystems usually work on recorded/recording media software and not on chat applications. The people who grok chat applications do stuff like Pidgin, Konversation, and mud clients but don't feel like investing the time necessary to hop on fixing the sound system, which is the one thing that's consistently irritating about projects like Ekiga.

Seems to me it's already known that MS has some sort of something with Skype (hows THAT for FUD) that will enable someone to see what you did. I'm too lazy to google it.

I've only used it, so far, on Fedora and Arch, the Arch 64 bit package seems a bit buggy. On the other hand, I've only used it fairly briefly with my wife overseas, and it's been where either she or I had to rush (13 hour time difference, so one of us had to get out of the house.)

Interface seems a little nicer, but, for my VERY limited use of it, no big surprises. Despite what Barney says, New isn't always better.